More structures spring up at project site - Gold Fields

Abontoakoon (W/R), Oct 24, GNA - About 400 uncompleted structures have sprang up within one month at Abontoakoon, near Tarkwa as a result of an ongoing project to extend high tension power lines which would run through the town by Gold Fields Ghana Limited (GFGL), Tarkwa. Mr Henry Afful Anan, Wassa West District Planning Officer, told newsmen during a tour of the area that the owners of the structures hurriedly put them up in order to attract compensation from the GFGL, in case the company decides to demolish the structures to make way for the high tension pylons.

He said at the onset of the project, there were only 41 structures documented for compensation but this shot up to more than 400 within a month.

The move by the residents followed the decision by GFGL to demolish some structures along the proposed path of the project and pay compensations to property owners whose structures would be affected. Mr Anan said some of the developers did not acquire the necessary documents before starting the buildings and that the Wassa West District Security Council and the Western Regional Security Council had met the elders of the town and had issued a three-week ultimatum to the owners to remove their structures.

According to Mr Thinus Vorster, Engineering manager, GFGL, there was the need to relocate an electricity sub-station and reposition the high-tension pylons to enable the company mine that area. He said the relocation of the pylons would cost 16 million dollars.